Santa Margarita High tight end Luke Gazzaniga is

Fourth in a collection of tales profiling top high college soccer gamers by place. Today, Luke Gazzaniga, Santa Margarita tight end.

You’re unlikely to really feel sympathy for 6-foot-4, 235-pound tight end Luke Gazzaniga, a senior at Santa Margarita High who enjoys the thought of operating over tacklers after catching a cross or sending an opponent crashing to the ground with a bone-crushing block.

Except perceive that he’s the smallest brother in his household. The others are 6-7 and 6-5, so think about the little brother in the entrance yard doing the Oklahoma drill, a legendary one-on-one soccer drill from years in the past that examined toughness via collisions.

“We’d literally just run at each other,” he said.

Some brothers play video video games or acquire baseball playing cards. The Gazzanigas had been into seeing who can be the last one standing.

“It was fun,” Luke said. “I was quick when I was a little kid. I wouldn’t go down. I’ve had to fight for myself. I had to find my way to win.”

Their father, David, who performed soccer at Dartmouth and turned an orthopedic surgeon, welcomed the competitors. If any of the boys got here into the home before a sport was over, Dad’s response was, “Suck it up and go back.”

“He taught us how to be tough,” Luke said.

You can sense the enjoyment Luke has on a soccer area. After he catches a cross, he seems up and will get excited if there’s a defender close by.

“I love seeing people there,” he said. “I’m letting them know if you’re going to try to tackle me, it’s going to hurt you more than me. I’m glad someone thinks they can tackle me.”

Future Hall of Fame tight end Rob Gronkowski has been the participant he’s most admired, and Gazzaniga has been in a position to see professional gamers up close because his father labored as a doctor with the Chargers. Luke obtained to hang around in the training room and on the sector.

“They’re impressively big and impressively fast,” he said. “People were huge.”

During Santa Margarita’s run to the Southern Section Division 1 and Open Division state titles last season, Gazzaniga turned an important offensive weapon over the center, even though he suffered an ankle injury and missed six weeks. He caught 20 passes for 332 yards and 4 touchdowns.

“God gave me the blessing to catch anything,” he said.

Santa Margarita coach Carson Palmer used to take benefit of throwing to the tight end when taking part in at USC and in the NFL, and there’s no doubt Gazzaniga feels comfy in the Eagles’ offensive schemes. Tight ends continue to gain consideration at the very best ranges.

“It’s a super important position,” Gazzaniga said. “People love looking at receivers and forget the tight end is almost the glue between passing and running. The Rams use three tight ends and there’s a bunch of big personnel types all over the league. I can envision myself being there one day and making an impact.”

Gazzaniga is dedicated to Kansas. He comes from a household of athletes. Two older sisters performed water polo at USC, with Rachel now a candidate to play for the U.S. Olympic workforce in 2028. Brother John is a quarterback at Alabama. His mom is an avid mountain climber. John used to throw bullet passes to Luke growing up, which helped put together him for any and all quarterbacks.

Thanksgiving always has produced an fascinating dynamic with 5 tall, energetic children circling for a turkey leg.

“It’s hard to know how much we eat,” Luke said.

Saturday: Vincent Shields, Murrieta Valley offensive lineman.

Tight ends to watch

Luke Gazzaniga, Santa Margarita, 6-4, 235, Sr.: Kansas commit makes big catches in site visitors

JJ Haley, Corona del Mar, 6-3, 200, Jr.: The next top tight end from the tight end college

Max Markofski, Mission Viejo, 6-4, 230, Sr.: Arizona commit is identified for his receiving expertise

Hudson Ploog, Orange Lutheran, 6-5, 235, Sr. Nevada Las Vegas commit is like a sixth offensive lineman to clear defenders

Jaylin Smalls, Rancho Cucamonga, 6-4, 230, Jr.: This is the season he begins to show his skills